Ray County Commission adopts EEZ

Cities in economic enterprise zones will now be asked to approve ordinance

By JoEllen Black/Richmond News

Ray County Commission took the next step Jan. 23 toward Enhanced Enterprise Zones, tools to encourage business growth and new jobs. The commissioners voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance of abatement, which was recommended by the county’s Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board.

Now approved and formalized, Ray County town governments in the enterprise zones – Richmond, Henrietta, Camden, Lawson, Hardin and Orrick – will now be asked to adopt the county abatement ordinance, according to Molly McGovern, Mid-America Regional Council’s small cities program manager. McGovern said she’ll attend council meetings in all six communities, beginning with Richmond Feb. 12.

“After approval, we then submit our application (to the state). We view it as one zone, but actually it’s eight separate districts and will have eight separate applications.”

McGovern said if communities adopt the EEZ ordinance in February, the county could get the designation by late March.